Square Dance History Project
The rich story of North American square dance finally has a home in the digital age.

Browse Items (1930 total)

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Lazy H - Tony Parkes

Tony Parkes is calling Ed Gilmore's classic dance, the Lazy H. As the dance progresses, Tony adds variations so that instead of couples doing a right and left through around a standing line of four,… View item
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Two Little Right Hand Stars - Tony Parkes

This dance appeared in Ralph Page's Northern Junket in Volume 1, #2, p. 17. This clip includes Tony's walkthrough of the dance.The dance is attributed to Ralph Page. Tony is using Rod Linnell's… View item
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Forward Five - Tony Parkes

The dance is based on one used by Ralph Page. Tony's shortened version goes as follows: A1 All go forward and back Go forward again, gent #1 bring two ladies home A2 At the heads, go… View item
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Harlem Rosette Mixer called by Larry Edelman

Larry Edelman calls this scatter mixer at the Dare To Be Square weekend held November 18-20, 2011, at the John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC. He introduces the "Harlem Rosette" figure that… View item
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Dick Leger figure - Tony Parkes

Tony Parkes calls a quadrille-style figure that he learned from the calling of Dick Leger. Leger did it as a singing call to the tune of "Wolverton Mountain," a country song made famous by… View item
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Chain 2 Ladies, Chain 3 Ladies (walkthrough) - Bill Litchman, Traditional Western Square Dances 2a

This is the walk through only. Bill Litchman taught this dance as part of his session (November 19, 2011) on Traditional Western Squares at the Dare To Be Square Weekend, John C. Campbell Folk School,… View item
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Les Gotcher - callers' class

This recording comes from the collection of Stig Malmo. It has some gaps, which you may notice when the audio jumps from one thing to another, but as the contributor notes, this gives you a good… View item
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Monadnock Muddle (clip) - Ralph Page

Ralph Page calling with music provided by Dick Richardson on fiddle, Junior Richardson on bass, and Johnny Trombley on piano, joined by Norm Smith on banjo. Released on Disc 363, the flip side of the… View item
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Jingle Bells (clip) - Ralph Page

A fine example of why Ralph Page was known as New England's singing square dance caller, back in the day. The dance is Odd Couple to the Center, set to the tune of Jingle Bells. Ralph Page calling… View item
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Swing Two Ladies - Ralph Page, 1955

Recorded at a dance in Fitchburg, MA, in 1955 by Harold Spaulding. Released on Dudley Laufman's CD compilation, "The Sound of Ralph Page." See also a video clip of Tony Parkes teaching this dance at… View item
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Sandy Bradley 3 - Why'd you stop?

Sandy Bradley was a dynamic and exciting guitar player and caller who gave many northern dancers in the 1970s and early 1980s their first taste of fast-moving traditional western squares. She stopped… View item
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Sandy Bradley 2 - Keeping it fun

"The thing that I thought was crippling people's attitude toward dance was rules. 'You have to do THIS, you have to swing like that, you have to get it right!'" It… View item